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This 300 seat church already had a reasonable high-quality sound system. It was properly designed for the room and professionally installed. The acoustics were not that bad. At least it was thought that the acoustics were not such a problem. The outstanding issues they were trying to solve or improve were:

Gain before feedback,

Elimination of the few deadspots that were not solved from the previous sound system when the current new JBL speakers were installed

Reduce sound spill from floor monitors,

Better control of the drums (when using acoustic drums) and

They wanted 3dB more bass from the Sub-woofer.

These are all reasonable reasons to upgrade the sound system.

The church was considered the following upgrades.

Replacing the professionally designed and installed 12-year-old JBL sound system.

They considered going for IEM (in-ear monitor) system for up to 8 people. (This would have included a new digital mixer)

The church considered making an air-conditioned drum booth or get an electronic drum kit.

They also wanted to add a second twin 15-inch sub-woofer.

Estimated total cost, almost $26,000.00 installed.

This is what the church actually did. They changed the acoustics of the room. They installed an acoustical Tube Radiator system.

What did they gain by doing this?

The sonic quality of the existing JBL speaker system was greatly improved. The improvement was noticeable better regardless of how much equalization was added or when the EQ was bypassed. (Definite proof that the acoustics of the room changed the performance of the speaker system from the day they were installed.)

All of the remaining deadspots were now gone. (This was never a speaker system problem as the right speaker system design was already installed.)

The performance of the speaker system was such that picking up a person’s voice went from 12 inches to 35 inches with a Shure SM58 mic before feedback would show up. (Again, acoustics limits the performance of all sound system. Sure there are some very expensive gadgets that can improve gain before feedback, but such gadget can cost more than the material cost of the acoustical fix.)

The floor monitors are now well behaved. No matter how loud the floor monitors get, you definitely need to and to add the front of house to hear clear sound. As it turns out, the overall stage mix dropped around 10dB without the performers even noticing as they were now able to hear the stage mix from the monitors so well at a lower volume. You could say that the monitor spill issue is eliminated.

This eliminated the need for IEM’s.

Since the drummer can hear himself now, he gradually started playing quieter after a few weeks. The need for a drum cage disappeared.

The Single Sub-Woofer was now able to play 9dB louder without distortion. It would have taken 3 more sub-woofers to get the same loudness without distortion. That was equal to spending around $15,000.00. (Standing waves and bass buildup in the corners added air pressure onto the surface of the cones of the subs drivers. This added air pressure creates distortion. When the subs distort, the sound quality and maximum sound levels of what the sub is supposed to be able to do, can drop up to 15dB in many rooms.)

Other improvements

Congregation Singing.

The participation of people singing went up from 30% to 75%. (When people can hear themselves and the other people around them, it encourages people to sing more.) s a resulting, the congregation is singing 8 to 15dB louder. (The more people singing, the louder they will become.)

No more distortion from the speaker system with playing louder which means the perception of loudness is greatly reduced. (Standing waves and bass buildup in the corners added air pressure onto the surface of the cones of the bass driver of full range speakers. This added air pressure creates distortion. When the bass drivers distort, the sound quality and maximum sound levels of what the full range speaker is supposed to be able to do, can drop up to 15dB in many rooms.)

After two years, the congregation is starting to add harmonies to their singing. (That is what happens when people can hear each other.)

Now when people stand up to give testimonies or prayer requests, people can hear them whenever they forget to use hand-held wireless audience microphone.

The front of house stage mix is so much better. Now you can hear all of the performers without having to blast the sound system. (A well-diffused room can make the signal to noise ratio improve from 3dB to 25dB. As the signal to noise improves, the easier it is to settle into a high quality.)

The worship space is now concert quality for any high SPL event, recitals, choirs or orchestral events.

The total cost of the acoustical system including painting the whole sanctuary. $1,400.00
Since this as a DIY project, the money saved went towards a better headset mic for the pastor and the new digital mixer. Total upgrade, $5,000.00. If the church contract out the installation of the Sono Tubes, add $5,200.00. That is still 60% of the cost of upgrading a perfectly good sound system if everything is contracted out or an 83% difference.

Conclusion

One can honestly say that fixing the acoustics had a far better return on investment versus just upgrading the speaker system alone. Upgrading the speaker system can never make the room sound better, improve congregational singing and it would have not been possible to delete the deadspots without adding more speakers on delays around the room. This transformation is typical of the new worship experience when a church gets the acoustics they are supposed to have. In the battle between acoustics vs sound systems, acoustics always wins. It’s Physics. Try moving a wall with air? You can’t. Change the wall and hear what happens!